Automotive vehicle skid recovery system

ABSTRACT

In a vehicle skid recovery system skid recovery can be accelerated when an automotive vehicle begins to skid as a result of ice accumulation on the road surface. The system can control operation of ice removers (e.g., blades or heaters), which are mounted within the wheel wells forward of the wheel, based on information received from the vehicle&#39;s outside temperature sensor and anti-lock braking system (ABS). When the temperature sensor indicates that the outside temperature is below a predetermined temperature and when the anti-lock braking system is activated as a result of detected skid, a controller activates the ice remover in one or more of the wheel wells and, thereby cause the ice remover to remove ice from the road surface forward of the corresponding wheel. Clearing the ice allows the vehicle&#39;s tires to gain traction on the road surface and, thereby stops the skid.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present invention claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §120 as adivisional of presently pending U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/455,179 filed on Apr. 25, 2012, the entire teachings of which areincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

The embodiments disclosed herein relate to automotive vehicle safetyand, more particularly, to an automated system that assists with skidrecovery, when an automotive vehicle begins to skid on an icy roadsurface.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

Conventional braking systems for automotive vehicles tend to fail whenroad surface conditions are icy. Specifically, when road conditions areicy, vehicles have a tendency to skid (i.e., slide) when the brakes areapplied and, particularly, when they are applied suddenly. Suchskidding, under icy conditions, is due to a low coefficient of frictionbetween the tires of the vehicle and the road surface on which thevehicle is traveling. As ice accumulation increases, friction decreasesand skidding occurs. For purposes of this disclosure, it should beunderstood that the term “automotive vehicle” refers to anyself-propelled wheeled vehicle including, but not limited to, a car, atruck, a semi-truck, a sports utility vehicle, a van, a tractor, etc.Additionally, it should be understood that the term “ice” refers notonly to solid ice, but also to any form of frozen precipitationcontaining ice particles such as snow, sleet, slush, hail, and freezingrain.

Vehicle safety under icy conditions has been addressed by governmentalagencies that provide road maintenance crews that take measures (e.g.,plowing, spreading salt, etc.) to limit and/or reduce ice accumulation.Vehicle safety under icy conditions has also been addressed by vehiclemanufacturers, which have installed safety systems such as Anti-LockBraking Systems (ABS). ABSs improve vehicle safety by overriding anunsafe action of a driver. Specifically, during a skid, it is safer fora driver to pump the brake pedal and, thereby the brakes rather than topress the brake pedal down continuously. If a skid occurs, the ABS willoverride a driver's unsafe action of slamming on the brakes (i.e.,locking-up the brakes) and instead automatically operate the brakes in asafe manner by iteratively applying and releasing the brakes.

Unfortunately, the above-mentioned safety measures still do not solvethe problem. Due to limited resources, oftentimes not all roads aremaintained and, even when roads are designated for maintenance,maintenance crews may not be able to keep up with ever-worsening weatherconditions. Furthermore, while ABS ensures that the driver of a vehicledoesn't make matters worse, it does not accelerate skid recovery in thepresence of ice accumulation. Therefore, there is a need in the art foran automated system that is able to accelerate skid recovery, when anautomotive vehicle begins to skid as a result of ice accumulation on theroad surface.

SUMMARY

In view of the foregoing, disclosed herein are embodiments of anautomotive vehicle skid recovery system (VSRS) able to accelerate skidrecovery, when an automotive vehicle begins to skid as a result of iceaccumulation on the road surface. Specifically, in the embodiments iceremovers are mounted within the wheel wells of a vehicle forward of thewheels and operation of these ice removers is controlled based oninformation from the vehicle's outside temperature sensor and anti-lockbraking system (ABS). When the temperature sensor indicates that theoutside temperature is below a predetermined temperature (e.g., belowfreezing) and when the anti-lock braking system is activated as a resultof detected skid, a controller can activate the ice remover in one ormore of the wheel wells and, thereby cause the ice remover to remove icefrom the road surface forward of the corresponding wheel. In oneembodiment, the ice remover can comprise a blade (also referred toherein as a shovel blade or scraper), which is advanced toward the roadsurface and which comprises a scraping edge that displaces (i.e.,scrapes away, moves) the ice. Clearing the ice from in front of thewheels allows the vehicle's tires to gain traction on the road surfaceand, thereby stops the skid. Alternatively, any other type of iceremover can be used (e.g., a heater than melts away the ice).

More particularly, disclosed herein are embodiments of an automotivevehicle skid recovery system (VSRS). In each of the embodiments, thevehicle skid recovery system (VSRS) can comprise at least a temperaturesensor, an anti-lock braking system (ABS), an ice remover and acontroller in communication with each of these other components. Thetemperature sensor can sense the temperature outside the vehicle. Theanti-lock braking system can be operably connected to brakes on thevehicle and can be designed to detect skids and automatically operatethe vehicle's brakes in a safe manner by iteratively applying andreleasing the brakes. An ice remover can be mounted within a wheel wellof the vehicle forward of the wheel contained therein. The controllercan be operably connected to the ice remover and, when the anti-lockbraking system is activated and the temperature is below a thresholdtemperature (e.g., below freezing), the controller can cause the iceremover to remove ice from the road surface just forward of the wheel.

In one embodiment of the vehicle skid recovery system (VSRS), the iceremover can comprise a blade (also referred to herein as a shovel bladeor scraper) movably mounted within the wheel well. This blade can have ascraping edge. In this case, the controller can be operably connected tothe blade and, when the anti-lock braking system is activated and thetemperature is below the threshold temperature, the controller can causethe blade to move from a first position stowed within the wheel well toa second position and, particularly, a lower position close to the roadsurface, thereby allowing the scraping edge of the blade to displace theice that is on the road surface just forward of the wheel. The blade inthis embodiment can comprise any rigid material (e.g., metal, plastic,etc.) capable of maintaining its shape and suitable for scraping icefrom the road surface. Optionally, the rigid material can bespecifically selected so that it will break when pressure exertedagainst the blade is above a predetermined pressure threshold in orderto avoid damaging the vehicle or the road surface. For example, theblade can be formed of a thermoplastic polyester material. Additionallyor alternatively, this embodiment can further comprise a pressure sensormounted on the blade. The pressure sensor can measure the amount ofpressure exerted against the blade by the ice or any other material onthe road surface. The controller can be in communication with thepressure sensor and can cause the blade to move a third position (e.g.,higher or lower) based on the pressure.

In another embodiment of the vehicle skid recovery system (VSRS), theice remover can comprise a heater (e.g., a forced hot air heater, aninfrared heater, a laser heater, etc.) mounted within the wheel well. Inthis case, the controller can be operably connected to the heater and,when the anti-lock braking system is activated and the temperature isbelow the threshold temperature, the controller can cause the heater toturn on and, particularly, can cause the heater to direct heat towardthe road surface, thereby melting the ice that is on the road surfacejust forward of the wheel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The embodiments herein will be better understood from the followingdetailed description with reference to the drawings, which are notnecessarily drawn to scale and in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing illustrating an embodiment of anautomotive vehicle skid recovery system (VSRS);

FIG. 2A is a drawing illustrating a blade-type ice remover that can beincorporated into the automotive vehicle skid recovery system (VSRS) ofFIG. 1 and that is in a first position within the vehicle wheel well;

FIG. 2B is a drawing illustrating the blade-type ice remover of FIG. 2Aa second position extended to the road surface for ice removal;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are drawings illustrating an exemplary mechanism formoving the blade-type ice remover from the first position shown in FIG.2A to the second position shown in FIG. 2B, respectively;

FIGS. 4A and 4B are drawings illustrating another exemplary mechanismfor moving the blade-type ice remover from the first position shown inFIG. 2A to the second position shown in FIG. 2B, respectively;

FIG. 5A is a top view diagram illustrating an exemplary blade-type iceremover with an angled shape;

FIG. 5B is a top view diagram illustrating an exemplary blade-type iceremover with a chevron shape;

FIG. 5C is a top view diagram illustrating an exemplary blade-type iceremover with a curved shape; and

FIG. 6 is a drawing illustrating a heater-type ice remover that can beincorporated into the automotive vehicle skid recovery system (VSRS) ofFIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As mentioned above, conventional braking systems for automotive vehiclestend to fail when road surface conditions are icy. Specifically, whenroad conditions are icy, vehicles have a tendency to skid (i.e., slide)when the brakes are applied and, particularly, when they are appliedsuddenly. Such skidding, under icy conditions, is due to a lowcoefficient of friction between the tires of the vehicle and the roadsurface on which the vehicle is traveling. As ice accumulationincreases, friction decreases and skidding occurs. For purposes of thisdisclosure, it should be understood that the term “automotive vehicle”refers to any self-propelled wheeled vehicle including, but not limitedto, a car, a truck, a semi-truck, a sports utility vehicle, a van, atractor, etc. Additionally, it should be understood that the term “ice”refers not only to solid ice, but also to any form of frozenprecipitation containing ice particles such as snow, sleet, slush, hail,and freezing rain.

Vehicle safety under icy conditions has been addressed by governmentalagencies that provide road maintenance crews that take measures (e.g.,plowing, spreading salt, etc.) to limit and/or reduce ice accumulation.Vehicle safety under icy conditions has also been addressed by vehiclemanufacturers, which have installed safety systems such as Anti-LockBraking Systems (ABS). ABSs improve vehicle safety by overriding anunsafe action of a driver. Specifically, during a skid, it is safer fora driver to pump the brake pedal and, thereby the brakes rather than topress the brake pedal down continuously. If a skid occurs, the ABS willoverride a driver's unsafe action of slamming on the brakes (i.e.,locking-up the brakes) and instead automatically operate the brakes in asafe manner by iteratively applying and releasing the brakes.

Unfortunately, the above-mentioned safety measures still do not solvethe problem. Due to limited resources, oftentimes not all roads aremaintained and, even when roads are designated for maintenance,maintenance crews may not be able to keep up with ever-worsening weatherconditions. Furthermore, while ABS ensures that the driver of a vehicledoesn't make matters worse, it does not accelerate skid recovery in thepresence of ice accumulation.

In view of the foregoing, disclosed herein are embodiments of anautomotive vehicle skid recovery system (VSRS) able to accelerate skidrecovery, when an automotive vehicle begins to skid as a result of iceaccumulation on the road surface. Specifically, in the embodiments iceremovers are mounted within the wheel wells of a vehicle forward of thewheels and operation of these ice removers is controlled based oninformation from the vehicle's outside temperature sensor and anti-lockbraking system (ABS). When the temperature sensor indicates that theoutside temperature is below a predetermined temperature (e.g., belowfreezing) and when the anti-lock braking system is activated as a resultof detected skid, a controller can activate the ice remover in one ormore of the wheel wells and, thereby cause the ice remover to remove icefrom the road surface forward of the corresponding wheel. In oneembodiment, the ice remover can comprise a blade (also referred toherein as a shovel blade or scraper), which is advanced toward the roadsurface and which comprises a scraping edge that displaces (i.e.,scrapes away, moves) the ice. Alternatively, any other type of iceremover can be used (e.g., a heater than melts away the ice). Clearingthe ice from in front of the wheels allows the vehicle's tires to gaintraction on the road surface and, thereby stops the skid.

More particularly, referring to FIG. 1, disclosed herein are embodimentsof a skid recovery system (VSRS) 100 for an automotive vehicle 101. Ineach of the embodiments, the automotive vehicle skid recovery system(VSRS) 100 can comprise at least a temperature sensor 110, an anti-lockbraking system (ABS) 120, one or more ice removers (see ice removers 130a-d) and a vehicle skid recovery system (VSRS) controller 150 incommunication with each of these other components.

The temperature sensor 110 can be mounted on the outside of the vehicle101 and can sense (i.e., can be adapted to sense, can be configured tosense, etc.) the temperature outside the vehicle 101. Such temperaturesensors are well known in the art and, thus, the details are omittedfrom this specification in order to allow the reader to focus on thesalient aspects of the embodiments.

The anti-lock braking system 120 can detect skids (i.e., can be adaptedto detect skids, can be configured to detect skids, etc.) and, when suchskids are detected, can automatically operate (i.e., can be adapted toautomatically operate, configured to automatically operate, etc.) thevehicle's brakes 121 a-121 d in a safe manner by iteratively applyingand releasing the brakes 121 a-121 d. More specifically, the anti-lockbraking system 120 can comprise any conventional anti-lock brakingsystem. Exemplary anti-lock braking systems that can be incorporatedinto the vehicle skid recovery system (VSRS) disclosed herein include,but are not limited to, the anti-lock braking systems illustrated inU.S. Pat. No. 6,704,635 issued on Mar. 9, 2004 and U.S. Pat. No.6,728,621 issued on Apr. 27, 2004, both of which are incorporated hereinby reference in their entirety. In such anti-lock braking systems, thevehicle 101 comprises brakes 121 a-121 d (e.g., hydraulically activatedfriction brakes) that are operably connected to the vehicle wheels 122a-122 d on which tires 125 a-d, respectively, are mounted.

For purposes of illustration, the automotive vehicle 101 is illustratedand described herein as a 4-wheeled vehicle. However, it should beunderstood that, alternatively, the automotive vehicle 101 can compriseany automotive vehicle having two or more wheels.

In any case, a driver-actuated brake pedal can be coupled (e.g.,mechanically or electrically) to a master cylinder that produceshydraulic pressure in proportion to the force applied by the driver tothe brake pedal. Brake fluid supply lines can connect to each of thebrakes 121 a-d from the master cylinder. An anti-lock braking systemcontroller 123 can receive various inputs from sensors 124 a-d (e.g.,wheel speed sensors) located at each wheel 122 a-d and from any otheradditional sensors (e.g., from a brake pedal position sensor). Theanti-lock braking system controller 123 can monitor these inputs todetect whether any one or more of the wheels are in a skid (i.e.,whether the wheel(s) are skidding, whether the wheel(s) are locked suchthat they are no longer rotating, etc.). When a skid is detected in anyof the wheels (e.g., in wheel 122 a), the anti-lock braking systemcontroller 123 will cause the brake fluid pressure in the brake fluidline to that wheel 122 a to modulate in an attempt to maximize thetractive force between the tire 125 a and the road surface. Currentanti-lock braking systems typically allow such modulating pressure to beselectively applied to each wheel; however, alternatively, when a skidis detected in any one wheel, the brake fluid pressure in all of thebrake fluid lines can be modulated.

An ice remover 130 a-d can be mounted within a wheel well 126 a-d of thevehicle 101 forward of the wheel 122 a-d contained therein. For purposesof this disclosure, the term “wheel well” refers to the compartmentwithin the vehicle frame or fender that houses a wheel. For purposes ofillustration, ice removers 130 a-d are shown as being mounted in eachwheel well of the vehicle 101. However, alternatively, such ice removers130 a-d may be mounted in less than all of the wheel wells (e.g., inonly the front wheel wells of a front wheel drive vehicle, in only theback wheel wells of a rear wheel drive vehicle, etc.). It should beunderstood that various different types of ice removers (i.e., iceremoving mechanisms) can be incorporated into the disclosed vehicle skidrecovery system (VSRS) 100, see detailed discussion below with regard tospecific embodiments.

The vehicle skid recovery system (VSRS) controller 150 can be operablyconnected to the ice remover(s) 130 a-d. As mentioned above, the vehicleskid recovery system (VSRS) controller 150 can be in communication withthe temperature sensor 110 and, specifically, can receive (i.e., can beadapted to receive, can be configured to receive, etc.) outsidetemperature readings from the temperature sensor 110. The vehicle skidrecovery system (VSRS) controller 150 can also be in communication withthe anti-lock braking system 120 and, more particularly, with theanti-lock braking system controller 123 and can receive (i.e., can beadapted to receive, can be configured to receive, etc.), from theanti-lock braking system controller 123, an indication as to whether theanti-lock braking system 120 has been activated with respect to any ofthe wheels 121 a-d. The vehicle skid recovery system (VSRS) controller123 can monitor the information (i.e., can be adapted to monitor theinformation, can be configured to monitor the information, can beprogrammed to monitor the information, etc.) from the temperature sensor110 and the anti-lock braking system 120 and, when the anti-lock brakingsystem 120 is activated with respect to any given wheel (e.g., wheel 122a) and the temperature is below a threshold temperature, the vehicleskid recovery system (VSRS) controller 150 can cause the ice remover 130a to remove ice from the road surface just forward of that wheel 122 a.

It should be noted that, depending upon the embodiment, when theanti-lock braking system 120 is activated with respect to any givenwheel (e.g., wheel 122 a) and the temperature is below the thresholdtemperature, the vehicle skid recovery system (VSRS) controller 150 canactivate (i.e., can be adapted to activate, can be configured toactivate, can be programmed to activate, etc.) all of the ice removers130 a-d on the vehicle 101 at the same time. Alternatively, the vehicleskid recovery system (VSRS) controller 150 can activate (i.e., can beadapted to activate, can be programmed to activate, can be configured toactivate, etc.) only the specific ice remover 130 a, which is associatedwith the skidding wheel 122 a. Alternatively, the vehicle skid recoverysystem (VSRS) controller 150 can activate (i.e., can be adapted toactivate, can be programmed to activate, can be configured to activate,etc.) only the specific ice remover 130 a, which is associated with theskidding wheel 122 a, and the corresponding ice remover 130 b, which isassociated with the wheel 122 b on the opposite side of the vehicle 101.

The vehicle skid recovery system (VSRS) controller 150 can furtherdeactivate or turn off (i.e., can be adapted to deactivate or turn off,can be programmed to deactivate or turn off, can be configured todeactivate or turn off, etc.) any activated ice removers upon receivingan indication from the anti-lock braking system controller 123 thatanti-lock braking has been deactivated.

It should be noted that the predetermined temperature threshold, whichis mentioned above and which triggers activation of the vehicle skidrecovery system (VSRS) 100, can be set at the freezing temperature ofwater (i.e., 32° C.). Alternatively, this predetermined temperaturethreshold can be set slightly above the freezing temperature of water(e.g., 33°-36° C.). This slightly higher temperature threshold canaccount for the fact that airflow circulation on bridges or overpassesmay cause sudden drops in temperature, which may not be instantaneouslydetectable by the temperature sensor 110. This slightly highertemperature threshold can also account for the fact that the groundtemperature may actually be lower than the air temperature. Setting thepredetermined temperature threshold at or just above the freezingtemperature of water provides an indication that the likely cause of theskid is the accumulation of ice on the road surface and not some othercause. As mentioned above, the term “ice” refers not only to solid ice,but also any form of frozen precipitation containing ice particles suchas snow, sleet, slush, hail, and freezing rain.

Optionally, the vehicle skid recovery system (VSRS) 100 can furthercomprise an activation switch 161 (also referred to herein as a manualoverride switch) contained within the vehicle cockpit 160 (e.g., on thedashboard, rearview mirror, center console or any other section of thecockpit within reach of the driver). For example, the vehicle skidrecovery system (VSRS) activation switch 161 can be positioned adjacentto manual override switches for other systems (e.g., the airbag on/offswitch). The vehicle skid recovery system (VSRS) controller 150 can bein communication with this switch 161 and can activate (i.e., can beadapted to activate, can be configured to activate, can be programmed toactivate, etc.) the vehicle skid recovery system (VSRS) 100 only whenthe activation switch is “on”.

For illustration purposes, the controllers 123 and 150 for the anti-lockbraking system 120 and the vehicle skid recovery system (VSRS) 100,respectively, are shown in FIG. 1 as discrete controller units. However,it should be understood that, alternatively, such controllers 123 and150 can be integrated into a single master controller. In either case,each of the discrete controllers or the single master controller cancomprise a programmable, self-contained, dedicated mini-computer havinga central processor unit (CPU), electronic data storage, etc.

As mentioned above, any number of different types of ice removers can beincorporated into the vehicle skid recovery system (VSRS) 100 of FIG. 1disclosed herein.

For example, referring to FIGS. 2A-2B in combination with FIG. 1, in oneembodiment of the vehicle skid recovery system (VSRS) 100, the iceremovers can each comprise a blade 130 (i.e., a shovel blade or scraper)movably mounted within a wheel well 126 forward of the wheel 122/tire125. This blade 130 can be essentially vertically oriented within thewheel well 126 and can have a lower or scraping edge 131. In this case,the vehicle skid recovery system (VSRS) controller 150 can be operablyconnected to the blade 130 and, when the anti-lock braking system 120 isactivated and the temperature is below the threshold temperature, thevehicle skid recovery system (VSRS) controller 150 can cause the blade130 to move from a first position stowed within the wheel well 126 abovethe road surface 195 (as shown in FIG. 2A) to a second position and,particularly, to a lower position close to the road surface 195 (e.g.,immediately adjacent to or within, for example, 1-4 cm of the roadsurface 195), thereby allowing the scraping edge 131 of the blade 130 todisplace the ice 190 that is on the road surface 195 just forward of thewheel 122/tire 125. The vehicle skid recovery system (VSRS) controller150 can further cause the blade 130 to move back to the first positionstowed within the wheel well 126, when the anti-lock braking system(ABS) 120 is deactivated.

Movement of the blade 130 along a vertical axis between the firstposition (see FIG. 2A) and second position (see FIG. 2B) can be, forexample, motor-controlled or hydraulic-controlled.

For example, in one embodiment as illustrated in FIGS. 3A-3B, the blade130 can be connected to a track 302 mounted on an essentially verticalwall (not shown) of the wheel well 126. Movement of the blade 130 alongthe track 302 from the first position (see FIG. 3A) to the secondposition (see FIG. 3B) can be achieved through the use of a motor 301,which is connected to a power source (e.g., the vehicle battery, notshown) and which is operably controlled by the vehicle skid recoverysystem (VSRS) controller 150 (see FIG. 1).

Alternatively, in another embodiment as illustrated in FIGS. 4A-4B, apiston 401 can be operably connected to the blade 130. A line 402 (i.e.,a hose) with pressurized fluid 405 can be connected to the piston 401via a valve 403. The vehicle skid recovery system (VSRS) controller 150(see FIG. 1) can be operably connected to the valve 403 and can actuatethe blade 130 by opening the valve 403, thereby increasing the fluidpressure within the line 402 and piston 401 and causing the piston 401to move the blade 130 from the first position (see FIG. 4A) to thesecond position (see FIG. 4B). Optionally, the line 402 can comprise abrake fluid line extension and the pressurized fluid 405 can comprisebreak fluid. It should be noted that if the pressure of the brake fluidrises and falls as a function of the anti-lock braking system (ABS) 120,the blade 130 can be allowed to rise and fall as well, therebyintermittently removing ice from the surface 195 forward of the wheel.Alternatively, a regulator (not shown) can be used to maintain fluidpressure within the piston once it rises to ensure that the blade 130remains in the second position as shown in FIG. 4B until such time asthe anti-lock braking system (ABS) 120 and, thereby, the vehicle skidrecovery system (VSRS) 100 is deactivated.

Alternatively, movement of the blade 130 along a vertical axis betweenthe first position (see FIG. 2A) and second position (see FIG. 2B) canbe controlled using any other suitable technique.

Referring again to FIGS. 2A-2B, to ensure that the blade 130 and thevarious mechanisms that allow it to move vertically are protected fromdirt and other road debris, the blade 130 can be mounted within aprotective compartment 135 (e.g., a metal compartment) within the wheelwell 126. The compartment 135 can have openings 132 (e.g., a bottomopening and a side opening (not shown)) allowing the blade to move fromthe first position (see FIG. 2A) to the second position (see FIG. 2B)and also allowing for blade replacement. It should be noted that theinside edges of the bottom opening 132 of the compartment 135 canoptionally be lined (e.g., with rubber or with plastic bristles) toensure that the blade 130 is allowed to pass through the opening 132without also allowing dirt and other road debris from entering thecompartment 135.

The blade 130 in this embodiment can comprise any rigid material (e.g.,metal, plastic, etc.) capable of maintaining its shape and suitable forscraping ice 190 from the road surface 195. Optionally, the rigidmaterial can be specifically selected so that it will break whenpressure (e.g., as measured in foot/pounds) exerted against the blade isabove a predetermined pressure threshold in order to avoid damaging thevehicle or the road surface. For example, the blade 130 can be formed ofa thermoplastic polyester material. Thermoplastic polyesters arerecyclable, rigid, clear and durable, with low water absorption and withgood creep, heat, fatigue and solvent resistance.

Additionally, it should be noted that the blade 130 can have any numberof different shapes. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 5A, the blade130 can be angled such that the ice 190 displaced by the scraping edgeis moved away from the vehicle 101. That is, the blade 130 can berectangular in shape, but mounted on an angle (as shown) or,alternatively, the blade can be wedge shaped (not shown). Alternatively,the blade 130 can have a chevron-shape (see FIG. 5B), a triangular-shape(not shown), an arch-shape (see FIG. 5C), or any other suitable shapesuch that a first portion of the ice 190 displaced by the scraping edgeis moved beneath the vehicle 101 (i.e., toward the center of thevehicle) and a second portion of the ice 190 displaced by the scrapingedge is moved away from the vehicle.

Optionally, referring again to FIG. 2B, this embodiment can furthercomprise a pressure sensor 138 mounted on the blade 130. The pressuresensor 138 can measure the amount of pressure exerted against the blade130 by the ice 190 or any other material on the road surface 195. Thevehicle skid recovery system (VSRS) controller 150 of FIG. 1 can be incommunication with the pressure sensor 138 and can cause the blade 130to move a third position based on the pressure. For example, if thepressure is too high (i.e., above a predetermined high pressurethreshold) the blade 130 can be moved up away from the surface 195(e.g., back to the first position stowed within the wheel well 126 or tosome other position wherein pressure on the blade 130 is reduced) inorder to avoid damaging the blade 130, the vehicle 101 or the roadsurface 195. Alternatively, if the pressure is too low (i.e., below apredetermined low pressure threshold) the blade 130 can be moved downcloser to the road surface 195 in order to better engage the ice 190accumulating on the road surface.

Referring to FIG. 6 in combination with FIG. 1, in another embodiment ofthe vehicle skid recovery system (VSRS) 100, the ice removers can eachcomprise a heater 630 (e.g., a forced hot air heater, an infraredheater, a laser heater, etc.) mounted within a wheel well 126. In thiscase, the vehicle skid recovery system (VSRS) controller 150 can beoperably connected to the heater 630 and, when the anti-lock brakingsystem (ABS) 120 is activated and the temperature is below the thresholdtemperature, the vehicle skid recovery system (VSRS) controller 150 cancause the heater 630 to turn on and, particularly, can cause the heater630 to direct heat 635 toward the road surface 195, thereby melting theice 190 that is on the road surface 195 just forward of the wheel122/tire 125.

The above-discussed ice removers (e.g., blades and heaters) are offeredfor illustration purposes and are not intended to be limiting. It shouldbe understood that, alternatively, any other suitable ice remover thatcan be mounted within the wheel well of a vehicle and that can removeice from the road surface forward of the wheel can be incorporated intothe vehicle skid recovery system (VSRS) 100 of FIG. 1.

It should further be understood that the terminology used herein is forthe purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is notintended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singularforms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms aswell, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should furtherbe understood that the terms “comprises” “comprising”, “includes” and/or“including”, as used in this specification, specify the presence ofstated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/orcomponents, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or moreother features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components,and/or groups thereof. Additionally, it should be understood that thecorresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all meansor step plus function elements in the claims below are intended toinclude any structure, material, or act for performing the function incombination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. Thedescription of the present invention has been presented for purposes ofillustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive orlimited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications andvariations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the artwithout departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Theembodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain theprinciples of the invention and the practical application, and to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention forvarious embodiments with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated.

Therefore, disclosed herein are embodiments of an automotive vehicleskid recovery system (VSRS) able to accelerate skid recovery, when anautomotive vehicle begins to skid as a result of ice accumulation on theroad surface. Specifically, in the embodiments ice removers are mountedwithin the wheel wells of a vehicle forward of the wheels and operationof these ice removers is controlled based on information from thevehicle's outside temperature sensor and anti-lock braking system (ABS).When the temperature sensor indicates that the outside temperature isbelow a predetermined temperature (e.g., below freezing) and when theanti-lock braking system (ABS) is activated as a result of detectedskid, a controller can activate the ice remover in one or more of thewheel wells and, thereby cause the ice remover to remove ice from theroad surface forward of the corresponding wheel. In one embodiment, theice remover can comprise a blade (also referred to herein as a shovelblade or scraper), which is advanced toward the road surface and whichcomprises a scraping edge that displaces (i.e., scrapes away, moves) theice. Alternatively, any other type of ice remover can be used (e.g., aheater than melts away the ice). Clearing the ice from in front of thewheels allows the vehicle's tires to gain traction on the road surfaceand, thereby stops the skid.

What is claimed is:
 1. A vehicle skid recovery system comprising: atemperature sensor sensing a temperature outside a vehicle; an anti-lockbraking system operably connected to brakes on said vehicle; a blademovably mounted within a wheel well of said vehicle forward of a wheel,said blade having a scraping edge; a piston operably connected to saidblade; a brake fluid line extension containing brake fluid and connectedby a valve to a brake fluid line of said vehicle; a controller incommunication with said temperature sensor and said anti-lock brakingsystem, said controller being operably connected to said valve and tosaid blade, said controller causing said blade to move from a firstposition within said wheel well to a second position, when saidanti-lock braking system is activated and said temperature is below athreshold temperature, said second position allowing said scraping edgeto displace ice that is on a surface forward of said wheel, and saidcontroller causing said blade to move from said first position to saidsecond position by opening said valve to increase brake fluid pressurewithin said brake fluid line extension and said piston such that saidpiston moves said blade from said first position to said secondposition; and, a pressure sensor mounted on said blade, said pressuresensor measuring an amount of pressure being exerted against said bladeby any one of said ice and other material and said controller being incommunication with said pressure sensor and causing said blade to moveto a third position based on said amount of said pressure.
 2. Thevehicle skid recovery system of claim 1, said brake fluid pressurerising and falling as a function of said anti-lock braking system suchthat said blade is intermittently moved away from said surface.
 3. Thevehicle skid recovery system of claim 1, said blade being angled suchthat said ice displaced by said scraping edge is moved away from saidvehicle.
 4. The vehicle skid recovery system of claim 1, said bladebeing essentially chevron-shaped such that a first portion of said icedisplaced by said scraping edge is moved beneath said vehicle and asecond portion of said ice displaced by said scraping edge is moved awayfrom said vehicle.
 5. The vehicle skid recovery system of claim 1, saidblade being arched such that a first portion of said ice displaced bysaid scraping edge is moved beneath said vehicle and a second portion ofsaid ice displaced by said scraping edge is moved away from saidvehicle.
 6. The vehicle skid recovery system of claim 1, said bladebeing movably mounted within a protective compartment within said wheelwell, said compartment having openings allowing said blade to move fromsaid first position to said second position and allowing for bladereplacement.
 7. The vehicle skid recovery system of claim 1, furthercomprising an activation switch on a cockpit of said vehicle, saidcontroller being in communication with said activation switch andactivating said vehicle skid recovery system only be when saidactivation switch is “on”.